Gaming has grown more than just a mere hobby or pastime. With communities banding together organising events, e-sports becoming more widespread and the rise of game-related video content, there’s plenty of ways to make gaming a source of income or a career.
But for our gamer of the week, she’s dabbled with all of that already.
Meet Crystal. Otherwise known as Vinny and hailing from Singapore, Crystal was introduced to the magical thing that is video games with the Game Boy Colour at 5 years old. By 7, she had grown interest in PC games through his father, who was playing Dark Age Of Camelot (DAOC).
“As a young girl, I would watch him having raids with the uncles from his guild in DAOC, MS08,” Crystal recalled.
She then got to try the game on her father’s secondary account and before you know it, she tagged along under the guild her father was with. “Everyone in MS08 were really welcoming even though I was just a 7 year old brat,” said Crystal.
And her father’s influence didn’t end there. “Most, if not all, of the consoles I own at home are thanks to my dad as well. He is a big fan of the Final Fantasy series and I followed his footsteps for awhile until I discovered the Kingdom Hearts series!”
Eventually Crystal tried out a few other games such as Maple Story, Audition and then League Of Legends. League had prompted her into e-sports for a while, where she joined various teams. Curently she’s mostly doing video content which can be found either on YouTube or Twitch.
Overwatch has taken over her life at the moment. Despite the picture down below depicting her D.Va cosplay, she mostly prefer playing support. “I play Mercy mostly, clocking in nearly 170 hours on her -I choose her because I can’t aim to save my life- but as Season 2 began, I started playing other supports and I really love Ana.” We could always used more support players, right?
But before gaming, Crystal was unsure of her future.
“I was basically a lost sheep until I picked up gaming. I had no idea what I wanted to do in life. For awhile it was a Power Ranger. But then I realised it was not a legit job,” she joked. “I thought of becoming an early childhood educator or a DJ as well but when I got into League of Legends and joined teams, I realized e-sports was my true calling.”
Having going through those rough times in the competitive ladder, it has certainly helped Crystal in her self-development. She credited her experience in e-sports to being a better person now. “I used to be quite weak willed and an easy pushover. Didn’t really have much friends because of how awkward I was. Gaming not only brought about a change in my personality into a stronger person, it has led me to met lifelong friends as well! (Shout out to my dearest Inu here. ♥)”
On the topic of e-sports, we just had to ask the cliche question of how it’s like to be a girl gamer, especially in more competitive games. It is still a talking point in the e-sports scene: should women play in their own gender-segregated leagues due to biological disadvantages or just climb the competitive ladder like everyone else? Is the environment allow women players to succeed or there’s too much toxicity that it’s better to separate them?
(Fundeavour had opened up a discussion thread on this topic here. As for more talking points, here’s a video of notable CS:GO analyst Thorin discussing this with other notable female gamers)
Crystal recounts how ranked games in League used to be: “I remember quite clearly going into a ranked match in League and someone would be like ‘Oh, a girl. Lose already la.’”
But fortunately, things have looking better, for League particularly. According to Crystal there are female gamers out there that are regularly playing in the competitive scene. One notable example she brought up is Lustreless, who is currently playing for team Sovereign that is competing in Legends Circuit Singapore. “I do hope to see more female community events in Singapore though!” Crystal optimistically adds. “Girls are generally quite shy so I think it will be a good step to welcoming them to the scene.”
On that note, Crystal has also involved with various companies related to gaming. She helped organised events like this community event in partnership with Garena for Eve Of Legends, an all-girl League community. Organising such gaming events, even at a small scale, can be daunting so we asked for any tips for those aspiring to kick off their local community. Here’s what she has to say:
“Organizing events tend to be extremely stressful. From the organization of it right up to the very last second of the event itself, you will be filled with worries about the things that could go wrong but trust me, it is worth it. The sense of fulfillment that you have after it ends as well as seeing everyone enjoy it will make every bit of stress worth it. So if you feel like giving in halfway through, don’t. Stay strong!”
So, Crystal has done e-sports, has done community events, and now streams as well as make videos. So what’s next? Interestingly, streaming is not the end goal. She is currently pursuing a degree so she can land a job in the game industry. “I actually want to work more on the community side. Organizing events, managing a team, etc.” she said.
“I really hope to be able to be in a position where I can bring up the e-sports scene in not just Singapore, but Southeast Asia in general.”
And we sure hope you’ll succeed, Crystal! Glad to see gaming has helped her accomplished many things already. Let’s hope more girl gamers can be as successful as Crystal has.
You can find Crystal on Facebook, Youtube and Twitch.
This feature was written as part of a partnership with Fundeavour, a site that helps aspiring gamers around the world to get a head start on beginning their journey as content creators, streamers and eSports players. Want to be featured and share your stories with over 50,000 readers? Check out more info here or sign up with Fundeavour.com!